Jerome Toftely

Jerome Toftely, age 62, a resident of rural Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, died on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at his home surrounded by family and under the care of Red River Valley Hospice.Jerome Keith Toftely was born April 3, 1946 in Pelican Rapids, the son of Clarence and Myrna (Schipper) Toftely. He grew up and graduated from Pelican Rapids High School in 1964. After graduation Jerome served in the United States Navy from 1964 to 1968. After his discharge from the Navy, he worked in construction for Adolf and Peterson in Minneapolis for a year. He then returned to Pelican Rapids and worked for his dad in plumbing. In 1972 Jerome received his plumbing license at the University of Arizona in Phoenix where he also received his Associates degree in Mechanical Engineering. After returning to Pelican he started his own business in plumbing. In 1978 he went to work for G.T.E Sylvania and worked with the Minute Man Missiles. Jerome was married to Zoila Amparo Aleman in 1981 when he moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. A year later he worked for E Systems in Greenville, Texas, when he was transferred to Egypt. After that he moved back to New Orleans and worked for the plumbing business until 1986. In 1991 the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1994 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in 1997 to Pelican Rapids where he started his own plumbing business, Toftely Plumbing and Water Conditioning, until the present.Jerome was a life-long member of the Pelican Rapids Baptist Church. He enjoyed hunting and fishing on Prairie Lake, where he and his family built a house. He also enjoyed traveling and cruising around. Jerome had been to all the States in the U.S, except Hawaii and Alaska. His hobby was working with classic cars.Jerome is survived by his wife, Zoila; two children: Jesse and Jessica, both of St. Paul, MN; foster daughter, Khanh Bui of Pelican Rapids; sister, Karen Johnson of Detroit Lakes, MN; and three nephews: Brad (Darice) Johnson and Keith (Tammy) Johnson, both of Fergus Falls, and Darwin (Brenda) Johnson of Fargo, ND. He was preceded in death by his parents, uncles, aunts and cousins.Blessed Be The Memory Of Jerome Toftely